When I went on my first mission trip to Mexico, I went down with two crews. One crew was medical and the other a vacation Bible school crew. We were told that we would be in the same place the entire week. I was on the VBS crew and everything we set up for the week, all of the pre-work we did, was done with the understanding that we would be in the same spot all week.
Well, imagine our surprise as we got to Laredo, Texas, that we would not be in the same place all week and in fact we would be in a different location daily. Everything was packaged and boxed for the week. It was ready to go. Not anymore. One phone call told us everything we prepared for was all wrong. We immediately went into action, pulling everything out and re-packaging it to fit
our needs for the week.
It was a long night, but necessary because the details of our trip changed. That’s when I learned a valuable lesson, in ministry, sometimes, you have to punt. We can plan all day every day for months leading up to a ministry event, but all the planning can’t protect you from the unknown.
The things we can’t control, when they happen, throw us off. Those things weren’t expected, needed or wanted. But they happen. As my friend JD says, “What are you going to do? Quit?” Of course not. All you can do is press forward.
Let me give you a couple of scriptures that will make you want to pull your hair out. First, from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ” Rejoice always? Give thanks in all circumstances? Paul says it again in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
Yes, always rejoice! No matter the circumstance, no matter the thing that happens that you have no control over. Just punt, regroup and repackage. Many times, someone’s opinion of you isn’t based on your daily walk. Many times it’s based on how you react in certain situations. Remember, you are always being watched, even when you can’t see the person watching.
So the next time something goes wrong or you have to punt the ball, rejoice. Again I say, rejoice!
See You Sunday!
Pastor Glen
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